St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-26

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street, the mercantile aspect of Broad,
way is most conspicuous The men, be
they old or young, between Canal street
and the South ferry are obviously those
who earn their daily bread and butter
channels of trade and commerce. The
editor, reporter, stenographer, lawyer,
minister, doctor, makes a very small rip
pie in this tremendous current, the large
majority of which is composed of mer-
chants, clerks statesmen and porters and
all the various workers known to modern
times. Above Canal street we strike the
strangers. Those tlashily- attircd men who
hang out in the immediate neighbOrhoodOf
great hotels are gamblers, Sharpcrs, bunco
steerers, and men who live by their wits,
in the unfavorable sense Of that some
what abused term. Here we begin to
find the retail stores and where goods
are sold at retail women begin to be seen
Down town in many lawyers Office, in
several editorial rooms, and in number
of telegraph and telephone stations, may
be found young ladies, stenographers,
type-Wrlters, cOpylsts and correspond
ents, and also in some Of the factories a
number of day laborers of the female
persuasion, while in the operating rooms
of the Western Union are great many
young women but, as general thing,
the people seen below Canal street are
men.
Above Canal street we begin to meet
the women, and from there up to Four
teenth street the Kaleidoscope takes very
pronounced and decided turn. Between
Canal street and Fourteenth street are
number of popular hotels. On the other
side of the way is the Metropolitan al
ways full, always well kept, and always
protitabIe as it was then, so it is now,
and unQuestiOnably always will be so.
Then we come to the St. Charles and
Anthony, the Grand Central, the Sinclair
and number Of prominent lighthouses,
until we reach Sheridan Shocks Morton
House, on the corner of Fourteenth
street and Broadway.
Hotels accommodate the public.
The public consists of men and women.
All these hotels, like the hotels through
out the city, are tilled-ergo, there are a
great many male and female strangers
within our gates Where are they to-
day? On Broadway. What are they
doing? Joining the great army. For
what purposes? To look in the win
dows, and make little purchases for the
folks at home, to take in the fashions on
the street, and to turn around and look
at other women, to cape and stare, and
ooh ~ and "Ahn' The New York Hotel
furnishes its share as well as these others,
and as we reach the Star Theatre, the
matinee is closed, and from its spacious
portals pour another and different
crowd. OF the 1900 people there, not
less than 200 were women and children,
the men being in a beggarly minority.
Close inspection develops the fact that
at least eight in ten are strangers. No
matter how elegantly appointed, how
we'll dressed, how neatly bonneted,
gloved and booted an out of-towner may
be, she is certain of detection by the
quick eye Of an expert observer.
New York ladies have their peculiari-
ties, as have those from Philadelphia
San Francisco. These joining their fell
low mortals on their way up town very
materially swell the crowds upon the
pavement. Some turn down Fourteenth
street toward the Madison-avenue cars
or the Third avenue elevated road, and
few keep straight on through the beauti-
full paths and the shaded walks of Union
Square, but the great majority turn to
the left and walk along Fourteenth
street until they reach the western
side of Union Square, where they di-
vide, some continuing down Fourteenth
street to the elevated road or Fifth
avenue, while much the larger portion
keep on past the glories of Tiffanys
window, past the variegated announce
ments of Huyler's candy store, past the
enormous structures put up by dry goods
dealers and carpet makers, past the de-
serted GOelet mansion, past the great
grocery warehouses, the jewelry stores,
past dozen photograph galleries, each
one displaying a window full of objects
worthy of more than passing glance,
until we reach the mutitudinous avenue,
that vast channel-Twenty-third street
Pause here for moment and take in, be
it by day or night, panorama of con-
human interest, of physi
cal beauty, of scientific development, of
material grandeur and of aesthetic |
beauty unequaled in New York.
Why. what is there?
In the first place, as you stand, you see
fronting you square of ire /
nendous oportions-Madison Square
lighted to-day by the suns magnifcence,
a gentle and eXhilarating
warmth, shaded so as to be entirely de-
ightful. In this square are hundreds of
rees, many of them old, stately and
magnificent, and fountains playing and
parking in the sunlight. Its gravel
walks are tempting to the old and young
like, its grass is green and wholesome,
ven its grotesque statuary is symbolic
If the wealth and liberality and as-
hetic advance of the people of the
ity. Prettily children gambol
ere and romp there, and even the one
egrading blot, the presence of innu-
lerable tramps, is suggestive of what
hey might have been, rather than often
lively obtrusive, as they are. Beautiful
$ this is by day, at night it jumps from
he plane of material grandeur to the
PIPER heights of fairyland. Hundreds
f feet above the topmost tree, burning
18th magnificent brilliancy, score of
lectric lights illuminate this square,
lrowing dark shadows on the ground,
npartfng to the leaves through which
ley shine weird and ghostly sem
lance.
And then?
Then 90 up and on. Try it. There's
othing like it in all the world.